My wife and I have excellent credit and a significant amount of $ in cash / liquid investments but rather than trigger tax gains by selling stocks, I was hoping to find a hard money lender for the purchase.

Seems to me regardless of what the stock market does(look at last week) real estate is always going to provide cash flow for me.  

Personally I don't get it - I thought placing investment properties in LLC's was a stock standard business practice in Real Estate, so why is Wells Fargo getting so obstructive about it - does it leave them exposed somehow?

Buyer fees, selling fees and your offer are very predictable.

Stocks aren't even returning a positive return this year..

Sister is paying for all rehab costs with her cash.Sister is managing all of the subcontractors (thus far: debris removal, garage door repair, HVAC replacement, deck refurbishing, flooring, and painting).Dad was looking for an investment vehicle besides savings accounts and the stock market, but would never have pursued Real Estate if not for Sister.Sister has a track record as a buy-and-hold landlord (of 10 properties) with some small rehabbing, but has never managed a large-scale flip.Sister will sell the house as a FSBO once it's done.Likely to happen:Profit: $25kSelling price: $175kPurchase price: $114kRehab costs & selling costs: $36kHow might you split up the $25k?

I've been a traditional investor (stock market).

My set up is the CAP ex reserves are actually invested in a moderate portfolio (50% stocks/50% bonds).  

There are a few points to keep in mind.One, no one really knows what causes the US stock market to move up and down.

Basically I put my money in stocks.